Posts tagged “Rap Up”

You know, I get really frustrated with rap music sometimes. First of all, there are way too many rappers nowadays. And second, way too much money and fame gets credited to undeserving/untalented assholes. But it’s dudes like Kendrick that keep me coming back. You see, there will always be the business aspect corrupting the game. And there will always be wannabe rappers over-saturating the internet. But there will also forever be masterful young talents coming up under the radar that eventually, with enough push from the true hip hop fans, will get their chance to shine and rep the genre the right way. Exhibit A…

I couldn’t NOT post a 2 Chainz song if I even tried. The dude is literally EVERYWHERE. I gotta say though, this is probably one of the more respectable verses I’ve heard from him. Although, I do try to avoid him at all costs, so what do i know. I will say this also; I don’t hate what the dude is doing. I know I hate on him, but it’s more of me hating on the game. Is hip hop really turning into a hype machine likened to fashion trends decided by some clown overseas (exec) who passes that down to someone famous (rapper) who then leads the sheep of the world to follow suit? Regardless, I like this song. Thank you Meek Mill and Jeremih.

This dude is a spitter, period. He’s not your typical “hard” gun/coke/money rapper. It’s crazy to think about in today’s ego-infalted materialistic rap game, but get this; dude lets his rap skills do the talking. Waaaaoooooooowwwww.

I just recently discovered this Bas dude, and I think more than anything I just like his vibe. He seems like a chill, lighthearted dude with a nice flow and natural content selection. He’s not reaching like some of these clowns trying to make up for their insecurities. I dig that shit. This joint is pretty smooth btw.

Sometimes I get sucked into looking for new songs for hours on end. It’s like a nervous addiction that can’t be stopped once begun, or at least until I find that joint that finally satisfies my hunger for the day. I almost gave up this morning, but told myself I’d give it one more page of listens before I call it a day. Much to my delight I found this Jon Connor link at the bottom of the page (page 17 to be exact) and took a listen with hopes he would quench my desire. Oh, and it was good. With a little help from BRIX’ utilization of a sample from one of thee GREATEST RAP SONGS OF ALL TIME (along with the chipmunked Gavin DeGraw hook, as pointed out by the wifey), JC and his uncanny lyrical prowess comes through in the clutch.

Sorry for the hiatus, but your boy was in a little bit of a funk. And not the good kind of funk you’ve come to regularly find on the funk. Nah, this funk had me boycotting my Beats altogether. You ever just get sick of music? Shit, that’s hard for me to come to grips with, but that’s kinda how I was feeling.

Rap music really pisses me off sometimes. So in actuality, it’s not all that inconceivable to find myself needing a break. I may have been warming back up to the thought of throwing on my Beats and bingeing through all my go-to blogs to see what’s up in these streets, but then I witnessed the most obnoxiously arrogant, not to mention annoying, encore in live rap show history; Watch The Throne. “N’s in Paris” is not the most amazing song ever. It’s not even the best Jay or Ye song. Therefor, what would warrant playing it over and over as if to achieve the Guinness World Record for consecutive playbacks? The opposite of D. Rose, that’s what. I mean, the show was AMAZING (minus Kanye’s boring Amber Rose dedication set) but I literally ended up leaving the UC pissed off after that shit. It was especially disheartening to look around at the 10,000+ stans fans encouraging this type of behavior in the first place. Moving on…..

I’ve found myself with some extra downtime this weekend and decided it was a good time to get back at it. After a long discovery session yesterday, I have a good amount of new music I’ll have to share throughout the week. But let’s start off with that rap shit.

Now I’m not going to pretend like I know every new artist out there, or equivalently have heard every new song from the up and comers I’ve already been introduced to. But I do know this; Kendrick Lamar is going to be making one of the biggest leaps in the rap game coming up in 2012. Not as big as K.R.I.T., but seriously, listen to this shit. Kendrick is nice as hell.

I’ve always been a big fan of the soulful scratches from Statik Selektah. Team him up with the knowledge kickin’ Termanology and there you have the underground masterpiece known as 1982. If you’re into the head nodding lyrical shit, check it out.

Never heard of these guys but immediately after hitting play for my first listen, I had to snatch this chill ass shit. I have a real love/hate reaction to short songs like this. I love them because of their simplicity, but I hate them because they always leave me wanting so much more. Oh well, repeat.

This one comes off Wiz & Snoop’s “Mac & Devin go 2 High School” soundtrack. I don’t really know the details of the movie. Are they featured in the film as well? I don’t really care, actually. I’m not that big on Wiz or Snoop, but this one seemed pretty smooth. Chill shit.

This is the opposite of chill. Following the vibe of his latest mixtape, Friend of the People, Lupe hops on this UK native’s high octane jam sure to get you a speeding ticket if left on repeat in the whip.
Sway – Still Speedin’ Reloaded (ft. Lupe Fiasco) (right click, “save as” to dl) or @ Hulkshare

And finally, we have remixes to two of my favorite commercially appealable jams of 2011 featuring some more popular names from the year. Shout out to the producers on both of these, since beats are basically 90% what we’re talking about when we’re talking commercial appeal, right? Regardless, shit is bangin’.

Yeah, I’m back with that rap shit. Let me be more specific, that lyrical rap shit. First up we got Mr. No Day’s Off going over Hov’s classic Black Album track. Are you not entertained? No? Well then you didn’t really listen.

First of all, GLC is absolutely perfect for this hook. I don’t know why, but it just sounds so right. And second, XV is always nice, but this Emelio Rojas (2nd up on the mic) dude is no slouch himself. He’s starting to stand out. Be on the look out.

I have stated previously on the FUNK that it was more the beats than anything that left me with a positive outlook on Mr. Rocky. But that’s starting to change. I don’t even really like this beat that much, but maybe that’s why his impeccable flow stands out so much. Bottom-line, while the content isn’t very expansive, I am impressed with the skills.

I guess this is an old CuDi joint that leaked as “Do it Alone” before his debut LP, Man On The Moon, dropped back in 07. It’s just now being released in it’s mastered version. Definitely the CuDi you’d come to expect.

Ok, if you’re mad that this is in my Rap Up post, then you must not have listened to Murs murder the second half of the song. But regardless, if stupid girls like Kreayshawn get any kind of consideration, then this bad bitch McKenzie deserves some credit herself. Give it a shot, it’s a nice change of pace.

Got my fantasy football draft tonight and I haven’t done any research yet, so I apologize for some of the short descriptions but I just don’t have time to get too insightful. As far as fantasy goes, I’m not too worried about my unpreparedness though, most of it is luck. And anyway, the best part of fantasy football is just gettin with the dudes during a live draft and then constantly talking shit from then on throughout the rest of the season. It helps when you have a good team but I’m really not the best fantasy manager. This is because, like music, I find it hard to draft (or get into musically) a player (artist) if I don’t like/respect them as a person. Was never very good at separating business from personal feelings….or anything and personal feelings for that matter.

Chip. tha. Rip. Reeeeeeally diggin this one right here. I’m lovin beat and especially the way Chip’s vocals match up with the overall vibe. Sounds like something to unwind to during the after-party, or maybe the opposite to kick the night off with the dudes. Probably follows a similar mantra as “Two goin’ at once. I like my girls like I like my blunts.”

This one can keep the party going as well. Fab is one of the most underrated rappers in the game. He consistently produces quality verses no matter the type of feature. The B.I.G. sample and Trey Songz hook make for an ear pleasing, easy listen.

Asher continues to impress me more and more this summer. He just went from an afterthought, to a “I’m definitely going to check out that album as soon as it comes out” type rapper in my book. Beat smooth, sample dope, rhymes tight. Real talk.

Slaughter in the house. I mentioned underrated earlier about Fab, but if that is the case, then Crook must be considered invisible. Even when people talk about Slaughterhouse I feel like Budden, Royce, or even Joell get the majority of the credit. While Joe Budden is close to my favorite rapper, I still gotta say that lyrically, as far as flow and punches, Crook is actually #1 out of the group. Talk about a group of rappers that really fit together on a lyrically conscious level, though.

I really have a hard time paying attention to the lyrics in this one for two reasons. One, I don’t expect to be impressed with anything rapped because these dudes are not lyricists. But more importantly, the other reason is because this sample is one of the coldest of all times. And I’m not talking the U.G.K. vocal sample, I’m talking about this Art of Noise (how creepy is this video?) beat sample. Took me a frustrating amount of time to remember where I knew it from, but the word “Freak” was the clincher that came to mind.

I’m not a huge fan of Little Brother, but mostly because it’s hard for me to get into 9th Wonder’s production. You know, kind of similar to the J. Dilla type shit. I know both dudes are respected to the utmost, but I just never really got into it. I still think Phonte is a sick spitter though, and while this beat is of the same soulful spectrum, this time shit’s got me bobbin’ back and forth without a doubt.

Literally got something for every type of hip hop fan this week. I’m gonna pop this shit off with the Seattle native Macklemore who brought us the creative “Wings”, which was featured on the funk several months ago. This time Mack takes on a hypnotizing beat that literally can’t be withheld under any ceiling. Currently on repeat.

Of course a cosign from Donald Trump, claiming him the next Eminem, brings Mac Miller to the top of the rap game….smh. Anyway, this is his first single from his debut LP. I kinda dig it, but still don’t see this lifting him to any sort of mainstream success. But what the fuck do I know about mainstream? Funny, one of his lines states “these losers always going with whats trendy,” when trendy is kinda how I feel about Mac’s popularity.

This one is for my boy Eder who’ll be taking his John Wall flex out to thee Ohio State to get his graduate academic on. Gonna miss arguing about Rick Ross and all that “hard” shit in the rap game. Fuck hard, this shit his harsh. Hwuh! But seriously, thanks for the support despite the fact most of my material is soft as baby wipes. Respect.

Aloe Blacc’s “I Need A Dollar” was in instant classic in my book. I don’t think I’ve heard an interpretation/remix that I haven’t fell in love with. This one of course, is no different. Don’t get too lost in the sample though, cause Yonas delivers true story through rhyme you ought to pay attention to.

This dude ASAP Rocky has been making some noise over the world wide web the past couple months so I thought I’d catch ya’ll up if you haven’t heard from him. Not my favorite type of rap, not even close. But I’m not too smug to say I still don’t enjoy a couple joints like this in my rotation to change up from the usual conscious shit. Like he says right from the start, “this is for my niggaz getting high on the regular.”

Talk about switching up, this is that conscious shit I was talking about. I talk about how powerful rap can be, and Joell is a perfect example. Any rapper can tell a story. Even ASAP Rocky is telling a real story in the songs above. But only a select few rappers can, and are willing to, deliver the story behind the story. It’s a story that isn’t told enough, and when it is, seems like no one really listens. Reminds me of a tragically dark tale told by Joe Budden. Take the time to really listen to them while I think about how much I miss 2pac.

I got a lot of material for you this weekend. Finally found some time to get through some mixtapes I’ve been waiting to absorb for a while. First up though, we got this J. Cole joint that came off last sunday’s installment of Any Given Sunday (vol. 2), which btw is just a handful of tracks J’s been releasing every weekend until the release of the long awaited debut LP. The beat seems kinda unfinished, but Coley Cole comes through to add just the right amount of mainstream mixed with lyricism to complete a pretty solid product.

Of course my opinion is only opinion, but G-Eazy > Mac Miller. Is that racist of me to automatically compare white rappers to each other? Probably a little. Anyway, unless you strictly measure rappers only by how silly their punchlines are, then I think G has the upper hand. But I like the conversational type flows that actually have a beginning and end. Plus I’ve said it before, I don’t really like Mac’s voice. Don’t tell me that doesn’t play an important role in who our favorite rappers are either. These next three come off G’s latest mixtape titled Endless Summer. Shout out for the Nas – Halftime sample, the beat sample from Cudi & Chip’s – All Talk, and that Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks shit. Quality choices. Dude is smooth, and so are his beats. What’s not to like?

These next two are off Guy’s latest project titled Train of Thought. Dude’s rhymes really make me smile. It reminds me of the days when rappers took more pride in, and only boasted about, their mic skills rather than their shopping skills. How sad is that? That’s what it really comes down to with all these dudes talking about how much greater their “swag” is. “I’m better at buying clothes & jewelry than you.” Congratulations, you’re now in the same class as every spoiled rich white girl from the suburbs.

“even if we wore the same colors you couldn’t match me
bunch of facts under my lid like snapple black tea
so pop it off, turn it up, you might learn somethin
like you took notes, you’re under me like footnotes
and now they start to cite me like a book, whoa
hook no, verse yes. make ya wanna purchase, they worthless”

“David Blaines of the rap game, so deceivin’
I gotta give these people real shit to believe in
They just easter bunnies, santa clause type niggaz
tryna make some easy money, fake fraud type niggaz
Man, how long we gon’ sit and let this happen
cuz another point of view is what the games really lackin’”

These next two come off Curt’s latest EP titled DIY. Props to my dude Nikhil for putting me onto this shit, dude is legit. Catch the Outkast – E.T. sample in the first one? Great song off arguably my favorite LP off all time, ATLiens. Well, hopefully you can catch the lyrics here. I want to quote that entire first verse from the second song, but that would be silly. Just listen to the lyrics, people.

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